A Day In The Life
by SubstituteDoll
Summary: Various scenes based around player characters, rivals, non-canon characters, gym leaders, etc. Fair warning, there's no real plot or structure, just small-scale character development. Gameverse. Rated T for safety.
1. Chapter 1: Elio and Gladion - Nerd

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.

WARNING: POKEMON SUN AND MOON SPOILERS

Chapter 1: Elio and Gladion - Nerd

 **Lanakila Mountain Base, Ula'ula Island, Alola region, 4:34 PM, just before Elio takes on the new League**

Silvally crashed to the ground. Exeggutor was still standing, making Elio the winner.

"Hmph. There's nothing more to say." Gladion turned his head down, recalling his fainted Silvally. Despite his loss, there was a tiny smile tugging at his lips.

"You have good pokemon," he continued. "It's been a while since I got to go all out and still lose."

"I thought you said there was nothing more-"

"I know what kind of trainer you are now," Gladion continued, interrupting Elio, "and what kind of journey you've been through." Elio stared at him.

Caught up in his own monologue, Gladion didn't notice Elio cheeks puffing out slightly or his head shaking a little bit, trying to hold back a snicker.

"I mean, thanks-" he started.

"And Hau's working hard too." Gladion pulled his distinctive pose, crossing his left arm over his torso and. "I guess I can't let my guard down around you two."

Elio let out a small snort.

"Listen, I…" The blonde paid him no mind, tugging on his ripped sweater as he kept talking. "I know we aren't friends." His voice was quieter, almost apologetic. "But we aren't enemies anymore either. I'm strong. I know that. But you've managed to beat me at every turn, making me work harder."

Elio was turning red.

"I think… I think you're deserving of being my rival." Gladion flung his hand to his face, sa though in a battle. "We're opponents, foes, pushing each other to greater heights! And now- _Arceus_ , _**what is so funny**_ _?_ " Gladion exclaimed, turning to Elio exasperatedly.

Elio finally burst. He was doubled over, guffawing with no remorse. Gladion tapped his foot, turning red despite the cold.

"Wh-what is it? Pull yourself together!" The brunette caught his breath slowly, straightening up.

"You just all… 'stronger! Rivals! Greater heights!' " He mimicked Gladion's nasally voice. "And that… that _pose!_ " Elio lost it again, falling over.

Gladion's eyebrows bunched together as he reflexively stepped backward.

"I don't sound like that! And what do you know about poses? Have you seen some of your Z move dances?!" The blonde demanded. Elio wiped a tear from his eye.

"Yeah, they're pretty ridiculous. But you do it on purpose!" He imitated it weakly, still giggling.

"Y-you're doing it wrong! It's- forget it! I don't have to prove anything to my rival. I'll win next time, and you'll see our real power!"

"Okay, please, stop talking. I can't take any more laughing." Elio held his breath to prevent the laughter from escaping.

"That's you own fault!"

"Come off it, dude. Arceus, you're such a NERD!"

Gladion blinked.

"What."

"A nerd!" Elio smiled. You pull off these crazy poses, and talk about strength like you're some kinda cartoon-antihero! It's hilarious!"

"Are you saying I'm not-"

"You're plenty strong, Gladion," Elio reassured him. "But c'mon! Rivals? Foes? ShutUP!We're _friends_!"

"But… you're my rival! What are you trying to do, make me go easy on you next time?!" Gladion protested, while Elio deadpanned at him.

"Do you seriously think you can save the damn world with someone and not be FRIENDS by the end of it? You're such a dweeb!"

"What? Am I a dweeb, or a nerd, or your friend?" At this point Gladion was more confused than he was angry.

"All of them!" Elio beamed. "You try really hard to be some scary lone Lycanroc ***** , don't you?"

"I'm not pretending anything," he growled. "You think you know me? You don't know a thing about me!"

"Try me." Elio challenged. "You hate being lonely, but you feel like it's the only way to prove yourself. You feel guilty easily, but if someone tries to tell you you're in the wrong, you get defensive even if you know it's true. You don't let anyone close to you unless they've proven themselves. You judge people fast, ranking everyone you've ever met by how 'strong' they are. You'll only open up to someone if the situation demands it, but never willingly." Elio smiled, this time more sympathetic than teasing. "And that's how we got where we are now."

Gladion was stunned. "How… when did…" he stuttered. Elio raised one eyebrow.

"Not much fun being interrupted, is it? Yeah, I think I know a thing or two about you. Wanna know why?" Gladion looked up through his asymmetrical bangs.

"Why?"

"Because we're FRIENDS, ya nerd." Elio punched him in the shoulder. Gadion, still a little dazed, barely registered it. Elio walked past him, starting up the mountain. Gladion finally broke out of his stupor.

"If- if you think this means I'm going any easier on you-!" he stammered. Elio grinned, a terrifying Cheshire smile.

"You think I ever go easy?"

…Gladion smiled.

"No, I guess you don't."

As the lift began rising up to the mountain path, the blonde shouted up at him.

"You had better win, Elio!"

With his back turned, Elio raised two fingers in an acknowledging salutation.

Below him, Gladion sighed deeply. His chosen rival ended up a little more trouble than he expected.

In its pokeball, Silvally yawned and went to sleep.

 **Author's Note**

 ***Lone Lycanroc - Lone wolf**

 **Sup, welcome to** **A Day In The Life** **. This is just a bunch of scenes from the many Pokemon games, born out of boredom and disappointment that some characters don't get as much development as I'd like. Not all of them are based on game events, many of them contain my personal headcanons and characters, and so forth. The point is, don't expect any sort of balance or consistency, but if anyone has requests, feel free to leave a review or PM me, and I'll take them into consideration for the next chapter.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2: Len - Meadow Melancoly

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.

Chapter One: Len - Melemele Meadow Melancholy

 **Melemele Meadow, Melemele Island, Alola Region, 1:37 a.m.**

The familiar click of the camera, the flash of light. A couple more shots; barely passable, even by his standards. A quick review over the photos, a selection of the best. The outright failures are deleted, the passing are saved, the best are moved to the folder labelled "TBU" (to be used).

The boy, Len, sighed and turned off his camera for now. His legs burned from squatting in his shooting position as he fell backward onto his rear, not bothering to try and sit where he wouldn't get dirty. He was physically drained, having stayed up far too late into the night. But still, he forced himself to stand back up.

Melemele Meadow was beautiful at night, for sure. The flowers swayed lightly in the wind, and though they couldn't easily be seen, pokemon were everywhere. The yellow Oricorio jumped and cheered, scaring off the poor little Cutiefly. There were photo opportunities everywhere, but Len could care less. He had taken all the shots he wanted, and maybe they weren't perfect, but he needed sleep.

Len stood up and stretched his arms for a moment, preparing for the trek back to the motel. Beatrice was long asleep in her pokeball, so he would have to be careful to not get into any scrapes with the local wild pokemon. He stifled a small yawn and started walking down the beaten path to the meadow's exit. Despite the great angle, was starting to regret picking a squatting place so far from the exit.

As he walked back through the flowers, his mind wandered, like it always did when he was stressed. Photography was a competitive business, and he knew he was lucky to have gotten this chance, but sometimes he just wanted a break.

From his first toy camera, it had been a major hobby for Len. His sister Layla was a rising trainer, and though he had no talent or even interest in competitive battling, he admired her greatly and would always take pictures of her pokemon.

His favorite was her Butterfree, so his sister eventually caught him a Cutiefly named Beatrice, Bea for short. Len wasn't an active battler, but Layla was adamant that he could battle well enough to at least stay safe in the wild. Coupled with how long Len had her and how fast Bug-types evolve, she had recently took on her new form as a Ribombee.

Beatrice was carefree and whimsical, even as a wild Cutiefly. She had trouble sitting still for long periods of time, so Len would often either let her wander around while he was shooting or keep her in her ball. Sometimes she would ruin a shot or two, but he always forgave her. They were almost like siblings at this point; constantly arguing and getting on each others nerves, but always having each others backs when it counted.

But now that she was asleep, and the meadow was mostly free of people, he had some much-needed alone time, even if he was tired. Mentally and physically.

Len's school held a small photography contest about a year ago. Len entered on a whim, and won pure luck. He was by no means the best photographer in the school; it was a hobby to him, after all. His classmates went all over Melemele to take their pictures, and rumor had it one rich girl went all the way to Akala Island.

Len procrastinated, got sick, messed up his schedule, and then suddenly it was the due date. Disheartened, he just went down to the Hau'oli City Beachfront at his sister's suggestion and took a picture of a Whiscash with some Wingull overhead.

Coincidentally enough, this Whiscash happened to be of a rare variety, with four whiskers. The teacher in charge of judging the contest, an elderly man with a famous photographer son, instantly assumed that this was intentional, and thought Len had staked out the beachfront for long periods of time to find a rare pokemon, and therefore deserved to win because of that dedication. Len was going to correct him, but he kind of wouldn't stop talking.

And then his son showed up, and the elderly teacher made it seem like the photo was of Arceus itself. Sure, it wasn't a bad photo. The technique, the lighting, all of it was good. But the real selling point was the four-whiskered Whiscash, something born out of chance.

The professional photographer was interested as well. The talent shown by the technique along with the dedication shown by finding this four-whiskered Whiscash? This kid was the real deal, or so he thought. Len knew he was too far in already, and he figured it was just a school contest, right? Nothing important.

But then he got the offer. The teacher's son was leaving to Johto for a while, and he offered Len his place working for a magazine for a couple months, as a sort of trial run. Len eagerly accepted, his ecstasy at this incredible opportunity far outweighing the guilt of not telling the truth. He wasn't LYING, but… it still didn't feel quite right. He paid it no mind though, preferring to focus on his bright future.

And now here he was, walking to a run-down motel late at night, dirt on his pants and a scrape on his elbow, with only a few mediocre pictures on his camera to show for it. Wonderful.

Turns out it wasn't quite the dream job he expected. He had hoped it meant freely traveling around, taking pictures of whatever he liked and sending them to his content editor. But photographers are rarely allowed such liberties, instead needing to take pictures of very specific things.

He isn't told "go take a pretty picture of something on Ula'ula, and send it to me in a month." He's told "get me a picture showing the right side of a Crabrawler on Hau'oli Outskirts with at least one Sitrus Berry and two Pikipek in the shot. I expect it on my desk by tomorrow."

It was difficult work, and tiring. Len hadn't slept well for more than a week thanks to the night-specific shots, constant traveling, number of assignments, and most of all stress. Sure, it felt good to know he was technically a pro now, but he also knew that he wasn't as good as he needed to be. The editor expected impeccable work out of him, and he was just a kid with a hobby. Heck, his reason for being hired in the first place was nothing more than chance.

It dulled his love of photography, to say the least. And as his passion dwindled, his guilt grew. Not just for not telling the truth, either. Len felt guilty for wanting to stop. He knew how lucky he was to get that picture, and exponentially more so to get this job, so he felt like he had to do it.

This lack of enthusiasm admittedly affected his work. In the beginning, he would make sure every shot was perfect, double check the lighting, keep backup drives in case he lost one. But now? All he had in his camera were a couple lackluster attempts. As his work quality diminished, so did his editor's patience, and so too did Len's passion. It was a vicious cycle, held together by shame and expectation he forced upon himself.

 **A motel on Route 2, 9:25 a.m.**

That night, Len slept no better than he had the past nights, waking up to a bored Ribombee blowing dust into the sunbeams and watching it fall.

He stumbled through his morning routine, smiling to himself when he remembered a small patch of bliss: Layla was visiting today, all the way from Malie. He made a mental reminder to ask her to lunch, then prepared for the bus ride home to Hau'oli.

 **A Cafe in Hau'oli City, 11:42 a.m.**

"Needless to say, the girl ended up ditching him. Who wants to stick around at a dance with the fire department hanging around?" Layla laughed, swirling the cream in her Tapu Cocoa with a small plastic spoon.

"Yeah, I guess. But how'd he even get an Exeggutor up there in the first place…?" Len mused.

"Who knows? It all worked out in the end. But enough 'bout me! How's my baby brother doing with his fancy new job? Did'ja get a suit jacket yet?" She smiled blithely as Len rolled his eyes.

"That's not a real job requirement, Lay. It's not a real job, either, they're not even paying me…"

"Trust me, kiddo. What it'll do for your resume alone is more than payment. I bet you're the coolest kid in school now, huh?"

The truth was, he definitely wasn't. Not only did he not have time for socializing, he didn't even have time for homework (and certainly not the energy for it).

"Uh, I don't know about that. Second-coolest, maybe, after Jack." She nodded thoughtfully.

"Yeah, that's fair. But really, how are you? Your eyes look like a midnight Lycanroc's: red, with black rings around them." Len took a deep sip of his own drink (highly caffeinated, of course), trying to think of how to tell the truth while not worrying her.

"It's… been kinda busy lately. Assignments all over the place, metaphorically and literally. I've seen more of the island in the past month than my whole life," he joked. Layla kept her smile, but her eyebrows went up.

"Sounds exciting. Not much time for sleep, yeah?"

He nodded. "Something like that." His voice was hoarse.

Layla pushed her empty cup away, narrowing her eyes slightly.

"C'mon, Lenny. I know you well enough to tell when something's up." She stated it simply, using his childhood nickname in an attempt to keep the mood light. But his eyes went down to his cup as he exhaled through his nose.

"It's just… I feel like I'm not doing what I should. Not just for taking pictures, but for how I feel." Layla was one of the few people who knew the whole story behind Len's job, so she took it upon herself to always be there for him (which was tough, considering that she spent most of her time in Malie City).

"I got this job because of luck, not because I deserve it," he continued. "There are people who want it more, and have worked harder for it. But since it was luck, I feel like I HAVE to do it, or else I'm wasting the opportunity. But then when I do it, I feel guilty! Either way, it's just…" He slouched back into his chair. "It's just a mess. I'm so tired."

Layla took a minute to respond. She fiddled with a great ball, took a sip of her cocoa, and nodded, staring off into space like she always did when thinking.

"Well, here's how I see it. Someone gave you some yogurt. Hear me out!" she held up a hand as Len started to protest. "Someone gave you some yogurt, yeah? And I know you kinda like yogurt. You ate a lot of yogurt as a kid, you have a snack of yogurt here and there now. But some guy gave you this uku big thing of yogurt, just randomly. And other people want the yogurt, but you got the yogurt.

But see, here's the thing: it's a LOT of yogurt. Maybe you love yogurt so much that you're cool with that, but maybe you don't want that much yogurt. And you know what? That's okay. Cause no one can make you eat all that yogurt if you don't want to. And those people who really wanted the yogurt? If they REALLY want that yogurt, they'll go get some yogurt. And… and… yeah. You get me? Does that help?"

By this point Len was bemusedly leaning on his elbow, one eyebrow raised. Finally, he chuckled.

"No, I really don't get you. But… I think it helped. Thanks."

"Sure thing, baby brother. And hey, shouldn't you be getting home? It's almost 2:30." Len stretched his arms, standing up.

"Yeah, I guess so. You're staying out to train?"

"I'll be home for dinner. Probably." She laughed, spinning a Great ball on her finger. "See ya!"

Len lifted two fingers in acknowledgement as he walked out the cafe doors. Layla's smile slowly faded as she looked at the Great ball in her hand.

"Yogurt, huh…?" She mused, staring into space. "I guess we might have more work to do, Wesley." She stood up and started walking out, releasing her Whiscash.

It had four whiskers.

"Time to fix what we started."

 **Did you catch the little stinger with the sister's Whiscash? I hope you did. If you have a request for a scene to be written, feel free to review or PM me.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3: Phoebe - I See Dead People

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.

Chapter Three: Phoebe - I See Dead People

 **Mt. Pyre Peak, Hoenn Region, 7:39 p.m.**

Phoebe took a deep breath, focusing her mind and spirit on the world around her. The girl's meditation strategies were a clockwork part of her training regimen; every Saturday at sundown, she would sit alone for an hour.

Well, not quite alone.

Mt. Pyre was the biggest cemetery in Hoenn. While more like a hill than a true mountain, its multi-floored interior and a great deal of its exterior were covered by gravestones or other burial markers. There wasn't a corpse for every marker, of course. Many people in Hoenn chose to be cremated, or chose some other less common form of death rite. But many people had a marker there, which suited Phoebe just fine.

Sitting alone on the side of the "mountain," she meditated every week while her team trained. Thankfully, they were experienced enough to train themselves with the help of each other, while Phoebe did her own thing. Occasionally one of her team would join her, but she usually sat by herself, feeling the light leave the world as the sun set.

Because when daylight left, others came.

Phoebe closed her eyes, letting herself drift out of her head, out of her body. She extended a metaphorical hand, and many other grabbed at it. _Too many_ , she thought with some frustration. They were restless tonight.

"Are you doing alright, Phoebe?" A small, feminine voice pierced her thoughts as she retracted the spiritual invitation.

 _Yes, I'm fine. Is something the matter?_ She thought to the other, sending the words like a letter in a bottle across a sea of paranormal chaos. Fortunately, she had gotten quite good at riding the waves.

The first few times were hell, she had to admit. Not practiced enough to control her invitation, not focused enough to keep herself detached from the whispers, not strong enough to resist the pulling of the others. Her pokemon had to save her, yanking her back into herself with some… notable whiplash. She could barely move for a couple days, and couldn't properly battle for more than a month.

But with practice, aid, and patience, Phoebe got to the point where she could easily fend for herself, allowing her team to run free for a little while. Now she was much more in control, and hadn't faced any sort of major incident for a solid year. And this time was no different; the spirits were restless, but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle. She remained curious, though.

The voice seemed to sigh.

"Oh, just some idiots battling again. Don't worry, it's nothing major."

Phoebe hated it when people battled on the mountain. She could understand the appeal, facing off with such spiritual power surrounding the teams. She had battled here herself, on occasion, but she mostly stopped when she learned how it disrupted the spirits.

 _Think I should chase them off?_

"Nah, you're fine. It's be over soon enough. Thanks, though."

 _Of course._

"Anything exciting happening at the League these days? I miss that place." The voiced seemed petulant, and with fair reason. Phoebe supposed she would miss it too when she died.

 _Nothing too notable. Someone made it past Sidney, but my team took him down easily enough. Fighting-type specialist._

"That's my girl!" the voice laughed smugly. "I guess Steven Stone is still sticking around, huh?"

 _So it seems._

Their conversation lasted a while longer, before Phoebe had to cut her off.

 _Sorry, but I should work on some others. I'll be back next week though, I promise._

"Oh. Oh, right." The voice seemed to get a little bit sad. "Can I come visit sometime? I wanna watch you battle"

 _Of course. Just try not to surprise me in the middle of a fight this time, alright?_

"I won't," she giggled.

Phoebe couldn't spend all night with this one spirit, even if she'd like too. With her talents, she considered it her job to help as many distresses spirits as possible pass on, rather than just chat with visiting ones. *****

By ten, Phoebe was finally finished for the night. With a last farewell, she stood up and gathered her things: incense, Dusclops' pokeball for safety, and a bottle of water.

 _I have to get going, but feel free to visit me at the League. I love you!_

"Love you too, sis. Kick their butts, okay?"

 _You know I will_.

With that, Phoebe retracted her spirit fully, walking down the trail to the rest of her team, waiting at the bottom.

 **Author's Note:**

 ***Restless spirits or ones with unfinished business are bound to this world, but some who have already passed on to the next can still come back and visit, especially if summoned or invited.**

 **Sorry this one is so short, I'm kinda drawing a blank for ideas. Feel free to tell me yours in a review or PM. Till next time, thanks for reading.**


	4. Chapter 4: Cynthia - Wonders

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.

Chapter Four: Cynthia - Wonders

 **Celestic Ruins, Celestic Town, Sinnoh Region, 3:26 p.m.**

Celestic Town wasn't very exciting. Anyone who had ever been there, even the people who lived there, would usually all agree. The Ruins were the town's saving grace, though. After the Galactic incident at Spear Pillar, everyone in Sinnoh was scrambling to try and understand what happened. In a world of science and fossils and theories around the "genetic ancestor of all pokemon," people had forgotten the old myths. Myths of dragons and pixies, and the creator.

And nowhere in Sinnoh had more information about the old myths than Celestic town. Well, perhaps Spear Pillar, but no one went there much. It's energy scared most people off; even Cynthia felt it, climbing to the top to stop Team Galactic. Goodness, what a mess that was.

She sighed, lowering her finger from the mural. The ancient writings proved untranslatable again, despite her best efforts and all her grandmother's books. But she wasn't discouraged. Be it research or pokemon battles, Cynthia was proud of her ability to turn the disappointment of failure into determination to drive her forward. It made her persistent, or "stubborn as a raging Tauros," as her family put it.

Thankfully, she had much more time to go on these little expeditions into the ruins since the child from Twinleaf overthrew her. To be honest, maybe she didn't put everything into the battle they had for the title of Champion, but she was tired. The duties, the pressure, the endless battles. Cynthia tried her best to make her region proud, but honestly, she was more comfortable in a dig site than a League.

The past had always interested Cynthia, especially the mythos of powerful pokemon. Perhaps it was simply her upbringing as the town elder's granddaughter, but she always knew it was more. It was the same part of her that set her out to be the champion in the first place; an intense desire to see true power. Her favorite myths were always of the enormous dragons whose heartbeats and breaths kept the very universe alive with their incredible strength. And when she saw them, atop Mt. Coronet…

Cynthia spent her whole life searching for any scraps of superstition she could find. These old legends were her life's work, and of her ancestors before her. She thought she was prepared.

But nothing could have prepared her for that day. The three dragons… just their presence made her want to curl up into a ball and hide. She felt… so small.

Cyrus was a terrible man. Cold and callous, with no regard for anyone but himself. He wanted a world of nothingness, and had no qualms with what he had to do to get there. But she had to respect him for his willpower. Perhaps it was his lack of emotions that helped him, in the end. There was no happiness or sadness in him, and as such, no fear or anxiety. Cynthia could barely stand in their presence, but he was able to subjugate and control two of the dragons at once, until the third came.

The third dragon. All she knew about it was small fragments of whispers, notes on the edges of books, scared whispers at children's spooky campfire stories. It controlled neither space nor time, but something else. Cynthia theorized matter, or perhaps even life itself?

Whatever the case, the third dragon deciding to show up to stop Cyrus was… unexpected, to say the least. It must have meant well, trying to save its brethren, but it inadvertently caused distortion to spread through Sinnoh. Fortunately, she wasn't alone at the Pillar.

Cynthia never intended to put the children in harm's way, but she needed their help to take on the third dragon, and in the end, it all turned out for the best. The ex-Champion was only disappointed that she never got the chance to take on the dragon herself. But there would be time for that eventually.

She stood up, ducking to one side to avoid a stalactite as she walked out of the ruins, her black coat over her shoulder.

 _This world is so big, with so many wonders._ Cynthia thought to herself. _Makes me feel like just one insignificant little human._

Wth a flick of the wrist, Togekiss was expertly summoned from his pokeball. His trainer tied a small letter to his foot, and he was off. The letter was from Cynthia, telling her family she would be leaving for a while, to find the Lake Spirits and maybe even the third dragon. Last time, she had almost collapsed just from seeing it. She might have saved the world, but that wasn't good enough. No, she needed to fight this godly pokemon head on.

She really was stubborn, just like her family said.

 _Good thing we tiny little humans are persistent._

 **Author's Note:**

 **I took the fans' conflict of Arceus vs. Mew and decided to make it part of the world. Moe traditional places, such as Alola or Johto, might sway more towards the creationist side with Arceus, but more advanced places such as Unova or Kalos prefer to listen to the (admittedly shaky) science behind Mew.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5: Professor Oak - Again

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.

Chapter 5: Prof. Oak - Again

 **Pallet Town, Kanto Region, 10:34 a.m., a few years before the events of Pokemon Red and Blue**

Samuel Oak pinched his own arm as an attempt to wake himself up. Procrastinated work kept him up late into the previous night, and now he was facing the repercussions. He normally had a schedule for his projects precisely to AVOID these sorts of mistakes, but lately he had trouble focusing. A lot on his mind? Or maybe not enough?

Another batch of pokemon were coming in soon, intended for children beginning their journeys. Nothing too out of the ordinary, mostly pidgeys and rattatas. A couple of geodudes, and even a sandshrew this year. And he would be giving them out to the bright young faces, filled with hopes and dreams for the future, ready to set out on their journeys.

He sighed. _Journeys._ Back in his day, they meant something. If you went out on a journey, you were in it to win it. He and his friend (well, kind of friend) Agatha were some of the only children in their hometown of Viridian City to go any farther than Pewter. And he, a weak, dweebish boy whose only talent was homework, made it through six gyms with his trusty Nidoran.

His final battle was with Agatha, in Saffron City. His partner Nido against her Gengar, Moira. In the end, she was victorious.

And so, he came back. He went to college, married his university sweetheart, and settled down in Pallet Town. Over time, he became a respected scientist, and was dubbed the region's leading expert on pokemon.

While Oak was sitting at his desktop, the world around him changed. A region-wide metro system made traveling safer and easier than ever. Pokemon Centers popped up all over the place. Businesses that made potions, ethers, and more pushed for pro-journey advertisements. Now, almost every healthy child had some sort of pokemon. Many of which were thanks to him.

And though he didn't notice it, he changed too. His legs didn't move as fast. His ears didn't work quite as well. His appetite diminished, and his hairline receded. He was getting old, and with age came fatigue, both mental and physical.

He tried to convince himself that he was doing good for the youth. Giving them the tools to reach their dreams! But often, it led to nothing. Children gave up, or found themselves crushed by the expectations to become the best. They came home dejected, and embraced the humdrum of everyday life.

Oak still had to be optimistic, though. Each child he waved off into the wide world, he told himself, might just be something special. Again and again, he saw boy after girl after boy leave their homes. And if he was unlucky, he saw them come back.

Lost in thought, he almost didn't notice the rhythmic knocking from the outside of his wall.

… … … … …

"What's going on out-" Oak ducked a stray tennis ball. "Hey!"

"Whoops! Sorry Gramps!"

Oak blinked. "Green?"

His young grandson rubbed the back of his head, about as close to an apology as one could get from Green.

"Guess that last one bounced off the corner kinda funny."

Wordlessly, Red nodded.

They were playing their game again. They marked up his north wall with markers, drew circles with pokemon names in them, and threw tennis balls at them. Supposedly, it was a very intricate game. There was a catching phase and a battling phase, and the tennis balls were used as poke balls.

According to what the boys had told him, Green was the usual winner in their school games, but whenever Red truly went all out, he could hold his own. This wasn't too surprising; no one else played nearly as much as them, and since they usually only practiced with each other, none of the other children could really hold a candle to them.

Oak might not have understood the finer intricacies of the game, but he knew that it ended in thunks and marker all over the wall.

"Green, do you need to use my lab for this? Can't you use one of your houses?" Oak sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

Green huffed. "Our houses don't work! This is the only wall big and flat enough in the whole town, except at school. Right, Red?"

Red, still focusing intently on the wall, nodded. With an exaggerated baseball pitching windup, he threw the tennis ball straight into the middle of the "Lapras" circle, earning another thunk for his efforts. Green's eyes widened, and Oak assumed this was important.

"WHAT? How did you make that?!" Green rushed to Red, examining his hand for any signs of cheating. Red smiled, and Green groaned, falling to the ground. "You win? No way!" Red shrugged, and went to retrieve the ball.

But instead, he found it tossed into his open hands by Professor Oak. He chuckled, heading back inside. "Just get home for lunch, okay?"

Red nodded fervently, and Green's disappointment from the loss vanished instantly. "Smell ya later, Gramps!"

Oak decided he had done enough work, and started the short walk home. _Those boys… well, I guess we're due for some change around here._ He sighed, again. But now he was smiling.


	6. Chapter 6: Theo and Vitor - Taller

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or the fan-game Pokemon Uranium.

Note: This scene is based off Pokemon Uranium, an awesome fangame (that I don't own). It takes place in a non-canon region, but that's really not the important part of this. If you wanna know more about the fangame, go look it up. It's pretty cool.

Chapter 6: Vitor and Theo - Taller

 **Theo's house, Moki Town, Tandor Region, 3:24 p.m., a couple months before the start of Pokemon Uranium**

"Yes!" Theo exclaimed to no one in particular. "I'm taller already!"

He performed a small victory dance in front of his mirror. Unbeknownst to him, his door was open, allowed a bemused Vitor to enter the room. After a moment of watching, Vitor smiled.

The older boy was content to watch Theo for a moment, holding a hand over his face to prevent stray laughter from escaping. Trying to maintain some politeness, he knocked on the open door.

"Gah!" Theo jumped, almost literally, and turned to his door. He was already starting to turn red.

"Give me some warning!" he exclaimed. "Don't just barge in!"

Vitor, cool-headed as always, shrugged.

"Door was open." He raised an eyebrow to the measurement markings on the wall. "And I hate to break it to you, but I don't think eating an extra vegetable at lunch will make you noticeably taller."

The fiery redheaded grinned. "Joke's on you then, Vi. I grew an inch since last time we measured!"

Vitor let out a sigh through his nose. "Theo, playing pretend about getting taller won't actually make you taller. You know that, right?"

That didn't seem to be the right thing to say. Theo could be… mercurial.

"Stop it!" Theo puffed his cheeks out like a Qwilfish. "I'm not pretending, I'm serious; measure me yourself if you wanna."

"Fine, I will. If you promise not to cry when you're not any taller," Vitor warned.

I'm not gonna cry!"

"You say that every time-"

"Shut up!" Theo shoved the yardstick into his neighbor's hand. "Just measure me!"

"Yeah, yeah."

Theo went straight to the wall, pushing his back perfectly flat against the wall so hard he quivered a bit. He was clearly excited; Theo obviously couldn't wait to grow up.

Vitor was less certain. He made his way over to the wall and held Theo against it to stop him from moving. Slowly and deliberately, he placed the measuring stick high and higher, until…

Vitor blinked. The mark was over an inch higher than it was last time Vitor measured Theo, not more than two months ago. He really was taller.

"I…"

"See?" Theo's eyes shined. "C'mon, mark it down! I'm gonna be another inch taller next time!"

"…Sure thing, Theo." The brunette smiled softly. "C'mon, let's go to Benny's and get some ice cream."

Maybe Theo really was growing up-

"Wait a second! Did you mark it? Did you?! Cause if you didn't, you're gonna be in big trouble!"

…Never mind.

"Yes, I marked it! Sheesh!"

… … … … …

Vitor was swirling his half-melted vanilla in a bowl with his spoon, spacing out and looking out at the edge of town.

Theo, of course, was finishing his triple-scoop cake batter brownie explosion on a waffle cone, though more of the ice cream got on his shirt and face than in his mouth. He didn't seem to particularly mind.

"So if I can train my way through Comet Cave in a day, then I can pop right out and take on the next town's gym!"

Oh boy. Theo was talking about his "super duper championship strategy plan" again. Vitor supposed he should listen to be nice, but Theo talked about it so much over the years that Vitor probably had it memorized even better than Theo now.

Over the years? _Has it really been that long?_

Theo had recently turned 12, over two years behind Vitor's 14, almost 15. But there was more to their personality differences than age.

His entire life, Theo had been, at the risk of sounding mean, coddled. He learned from a young age that when he cried, he got what he wanted, whether it was from his father, his neighbors, Professor Bambo'o, or even Vitor (he couldn't help it. The tears activated his big brother instinct, whether he liked it or not). The energetic boy was only just recently starting to grow out of it.

Meanwhile, Vitor had grown up mostly taking care of himself. His father, Kellyn, was always off doing Ranger work. And his mother, Lucille… well, it's rather hard to be home for your son when your workplace, a nuclear power plant, exploded. With you in it.

He had Auntie, of course, but she was getting older by the day, and she showed it. Vitor more or less took care of himself (and Theo).

After the power plant explosion, Kellyn dropped Vitor off with Auntie on Moki town. Vitor was only 6, and Theo was 4. In a small town, with no other friends or neighbors anywhere close to his own age, this older boy seemed like a godsend to Theo.

And ever since, they were more or less inseparable. This was mostly Theo's doing, who generally refused to Leave Vitor's side if at all humanly possible. But over time, Vitor came to love Theo like a younger sibling too.

"Hey! Are you not listening to me?"

With all the sibling love-hate that came with it.


	7. Chapter 7: Hugh and Nate - Scared

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.

Chapter 7: Hugh and Nate - Scared

WARNING: Some swearing.

 **Aspertia City, Unova Region, 11:51 a.m., three months before Black and White 2**

"You can't stop me!"

"You will _not_ take that tone with me, young man." His mother's voice sharpened further. "I am your mother, and I know what's best for you."

"The police gave up! _Someone_ has to get Felix back, and if I don't, who will?!"

"And how do you intend to do this?"

"I got my permit, my license, my supplies…"

"You went behind my back?"

"No, I didn't! You said I could! You've told me I could for years! You told me as soon as I'm old enough and fully prepared, I can go. You are NOT backing out of our agreement now!"

"We made that agreement years ago, Hugh! You were young, and panicking, and Hannah was crying-"

"You lied to me? What, this was just a little white lie to you? The tooth fairy, Santa Claus, and my journey? You didn't think I would make a plan?"

"Do you know what your 'plan' means? A couple of gyms I could support, an internship to a research facility, a battle camp. Something where I could know when you were coming back. But this? Felix was taken years ago! We have no idea if he's even still _alive!"_

"How can you say that? He was our pokemon, our friend! And you're just going to let him go!?"

"You have no plan, no leads, only two pokemon, minimal training, and barely any experience outside the city-"

"I'm the best trainer in school! I've talked to Officer Rezner, and he said to start in Castelia-"

"Oh yes, just start in Castelia, just the biggest city in the region! And once you've checked every dumpster and back alley, then what? Nimbasa? Nacrene?"

"I'll do whatever it takes!"

"You will NOT!"

"WATCH ME!"

… … … … …

Nate whistled. "Wow. That's rough."

Hugh's voice was muffled by his head in his hands. "Tell me about it."

For better or for worse, Hugh's father and sister were out of the house. Hugh's father tended to shut down any conflicts with the sheer power of his presence, and no one could fight in front of Hannah. With none of the filters they had grown so accustomed to, their fight had spiraled. Finally, Hugh had stormed out of the house, stomped over to Nate's house, and fumed all the way to their spot, a little bench halfway up the Aspertia Outlook steps.

Nate rubbed small circles into Hugh's back. "I'm sorry, Hugh. That sucks."

"I just- God, I wouldn't even be this mad if she hadn't already said I could! I've been training twice as hard for months, and stockpiling supplies, and studying like crazy. She actually thought I wasn't going!"

"I agree with you completely…"

Hugh looked up at Nate. "But?"

Nate shrugged. "She's scared. Losing your Purrloin must have been hard on her, just like it was for your sister and you. She's scared of losing you to Plasma, just like she lost Felix."

"She's not the one going out there. Hell, she hasn't done a THING to find Felix-"

"I'm not saying she's right." Nate interrupted. Normally, Hugh would steamroll his way over anyone who tried to talk over him, but Nate was the perfect combination of soothing and strong that Hugh just had to listen. "But she's scared." Nate gave a breathy laughed. "I'm scared too."

Hugh frowned. "You're not gonna try and stop me too, are you?"

"No way." Nate smiled. "I know better. I know you'd never listen. I also know you can take care of yourself. But I'm still scared."

"You're coming, though."

"Eventually, yeah. As soon as I can get my permit and leave school, I'll come right to you. But till then, I'm just gonna be sitting around, wondering if your arm has been eaten by a Hydreigon yet."

"Nate, we've talked about this…"

"Like I said, I'm not gonna try and stop you. Just call home once in a while? For my sake, if not hers?"

"…I will."

Nate let out a sigh and moved over on the bench, curling himself up into Hugh's lap. It was a fairly common sight on the bench, and most people around the outlook were used to seeing it.

"I'm gonna miss you."

"Me too."


End file.
